The History of Shoes
In the past, importance (0) was not given to shoes being comfortable or fashionable. These early foot coverings were probably animal skins, which people tied round their ankles during cold (1). We still use leather today, but other materials such as silk, plastic, or cotton are also popular, depending (2) what is in fashion.

It was only one hundred and fifty years ago that people began to wear a different shoe on each foot. Formerly, the two shoes had been straight instead of shaped and (3) be worn on the left or the right foot. All shoes used to be made by hand, but now, (4) there are shoemakers still using their traditional skills, most shoes are now machine-made in large factories. The introduction of sewing machines allowed the shoe industry to produce a large (5) of cheaper shoes for a wider range of buyers.